Committee of Deans Meeting 2-1995
Meeting No 2/95 of the Committee of Deans was held on Tuesday 7 February
1995, in the Council Room, University Offices, Clayton campus, between 2.15
pm and 5.20 pm.
There were present:
Professor I W Chubb, Acting Vice-Chancellor, in the Chair
Professor P LeP Darvall, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and
Development)
Professor L H T West, Pro Vice-Chancellor (International Programs and
Development)
Professor P C Chandler, Pro Vice-Chancellor
Professor M Quartly, Dean, Faculty of Arts
Professor J A Rickard, Pro Vice-Chancellor & Dean, Faculty of Business &
Economics
Professor C J Bellamy, Dean, Faculty of Computing and Information
Technology
Professor R T White, Dean, Faculty of Education
Professor W H Melbourne, Dean, Faculty of Engineering
Professor R Porter, Dean, Faculty of Medicine
Professor J W Warren, Dean, Faculty of Science
Professor C B Chapman, Dean and Director, Victorian College of Pharmacy
Apologies were received from:
Professor M I Logan, Vice-Chancellor, in the Chair
Professor J L C Chipman, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Gippsland Campus)
Professor R J Pargetter, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Projects)
Professor C R Williams, Dean, Faculty of Law
In attendance were:
Mr P B Wade, General Manager
Ms O Cornelius, Academic Registrar
Ms C E Anderson, Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor
M I N U T E S
1. Minutes
1.1 Meeting No 16/94
The minutes of Meeting No 16/94 held on 13 December 1994 were confirmed
and signed.
1.2 Meeting No 1/95
The Committee noted that Meeting No 1/95, which had been tentatively
scheduled for 17 January 1995, had been cancelled.
2. Matters Arising from the Minutes not listed elsewhere in the Agenda
Nil.
3. Vice-Chancellor's Report
3.1 Preliminary Report on 1995 Selection
The Committee received and noted a tabled report (D9/95) on the above
matter from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Projects).
Deans advised of the impact on their faculties of the introduction of TER
scores as a means to rank applicants for admission in 1995, and commended
the efficient and effective enrolment procedures implemented by Student
Services, under the direction of Mr Clive Vernon.
Some concern was expressed about the accuracy of TER scores; it was
suggested that Universities should press for the introduction of a system to
cross-check accuracy by means of two independent computer programs. RJP
The Committee agreed to seek the advice of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor
(Academic Projects) on TER score verification processes at its next regular
meeting.
3.2 Student Load
The Acting Vice-Chancellor advised that anticipated under-enrolments in
1995 could impact on the federal government's foreshadowed move to transfer
student load interstate. He suggested that this issue was likely to arise
again in 1995.
3.3 Commonwealth Funding
The Committee noted the Acting Vice-Chancellor's advice that the federal
government could be expected to move in the future to funding undergraduate
student load only, with postgraduate courses to be funded by fees charged to
students.
3.4 1994 Quality Review
The Acting Vice-Chancellor advised that the University had received, for
comment and response, a draft report from the Quality Review Committee. It
was anticipated that the final report would be issued in late February or
early March 1995.
No specific terms of reference had yet been set for the 1995 quality
review of research activities, but work on developing a portfolio had
already been commenced by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and
Development).
3.5 Appointment of Vice-Chancellor, University of Melbourne
The Committee noted that Professor Alan Gilbert, Vice-Chancellor,
University of Tasmania, had been appointed as Vice-Chancellor, University of
Melbourne, to take up appointment towards the end of 1995.
4. Personnel Matters
4.1 Review of Staff Selection and Associated Policies and Procedures
The Committee gave consideration to the document presented (D1/95) and:
(i) noted that the Acting Vice-Chancellor would discuss with the Dean of
Law any amendments proposed at the meeting (the Dean being unable to attend)
and, in the event that the Dean was of the view that the document required
further consideration, it would be referred to the next regular meeting of
the Committee;
(ii) agreed to defer further consideration of proposals relating to
contract positions to the next regular meeting;
(iii) noted that if the document was amended it would need to be referred
back to NTEU for consideration/agreement;
(iv) agreed on a range of amendments to the document as follows:
Document Page Amendment
1 Amend preamble to clarify that the policy/ procedures relate to initial
appointments; other processes apply to reappointments.
7 Statement concerning Referees to be amended to provide for reports to
be received in writing and, where appropriate, by telephone.
11 Selection Committee for Deans to include a student member of the
Faculty Board.
12 Heading for page to read: Associate Dean (only if advertised).
23 Amend composition of Selection Committee for General Manager to read
as follows:
- Vice-Chancellor (presiding member)
- Deputy Vice-Chancellor
- a senior / executive member of the academic staff nominated by the
Vice-Chancellor
- two Deans nominated by the Vice-Chancellor after consultation with the
Committee of Deans
- a senior / executive member of the general staff nominated by the
Vice-Chancellor
- the chair of the Finance Committee
- a general staff member of Council, nominated by the Vice-Chancellor
- additional members may be coopted by the presiding member
25 Term of appointment for Executive Director, University Development to be
amended to read: up to five year fixed term.
General Review all statements relating to terms of appointment with a
view to amending all such references to read: up to ...
Policy and Legal Counsel to be asked to prepare a disclaimer, for
inclusion in the introduction to the document, to protect the University
against possible disputes initiated on procedural grounds by unsuccessful
applicants.
(v) agreed that, subject to (i), (ii) and (iii) above, those parts of the
document, as amended, which did not relate to contract positions, be
referred to the Academic Board for approval.
(vi) noted that Deans were asked to refer their advice concerning
proposed policy/procedures relating to contract positions (agenda pages 7-8
and 47-48) to the Acting Vice-Chancellor by Tuesday 14 February, and that
those sections of the document were to be clarified to appropriately reflect
procedures relating to general staff.
During the discussion, the following issues were raised:
the Acting Vice-Chancellor advised that a policy paper to clarify the
University's position on acting professorships was to be presented to the
next regular meeting of the Committee;
the Dean of Medicine advised that he anticipated the matter of
fast-tracking internal professorial appointments would be given
consideration by the Committee in due course, in the light of a paper to be
prepared by the Assistant Personnel Manager (Senior Appointments);
the Acting Vice-Chancellor had referred the matter of promotion paths to
Lecturer Level E to Personnel Services, for the development of proposed
procedures to enable the University to take appropriate action in cases
where the University was at risk of losing valued staff members to other
institutions;
The Acting Vice-Chancellor advised that the matter of achieving target
ratios for tenured/non-tenured Level A academic staff was still under
consideration, and that the Director, Organisational Development, was to
prepare an academic staff profile to facilitate implementing the principle
of 'tagged' Level A positions.
4.2 Financial Implications of Personal Chairs
The Committee noted a referral on the above matter from the Personal
Chairs Committee meeting of 30 November 1994.
4.3 Voluntary Early Retirement
The Committee endorsed a tabled policy proposal (D2/95A) and, noting that
general staff in the central administration were included in the scheme,
agreed that a quota of 50 be placed on the Voluntary Early Retirement
Scheme, to be applied across the University on a pro rata basis by faculty
in accordance with estimates provided (D2/95), subject to the following:
that the document be amended to provide for successful applicants to
retire on or before 31 December 1995 but not before reaching age 55;
that consideration be given to identifying in the document a period of
minimum service as a criterion for eligibility for the scheme.
Deans were asked to advise the Acting Vice-Chancellor of areas identified
in faculties in which the scheme may operate, together with a rationale.
4.4 Annual Leave in Excess of 40 Days
The Committee considered a previously circulated document (D3/95), and
agreed management options to address the problem of leave balances as
follows:
Deputy Vice-Chancellor to write to Deans listing staff in the faculty
with annual leave balances of more that 40 days, requesting that Deans take
action to ensure compliance with his original request.
Deans to require annual leave balances in excess of 40 days to be an
agenda item for every departmental meeting where there are staff in the
department with annual leave balances in excess of 40 days.
The Committee noted that if appropriate results were not forthcoming from
the above course of action, there would be little alternative but for the
Vice-Chancellor to write to staff who have not complied with his request to
reduce annual leave balances to 40 days, directing them to reduce annual
leave balances to less than 40 days by a specific date.
4.5 Enterprise Bargaining
The Acting Vice-Chancellor advised that the first meeting with the Union
in 1995 was to be held in the week commencing 13 February. It was noted that
an enterprise agreement was to be completed by October 1995.
5. Research Matters
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Development) advised that the
Committee of Associate Deans (Research) had distributed $1 million from the
Monash Research Fund and that NHMRC fund applications were due out shortly.
In response to his query, the Dean of Engineering was advised to raise
the matter of the position and future of the Monash Development Fund at the
next meeting of the Committee.
6. International Matters
6.1 Report on International Activities
The Committee noted the previously circulated report on international
activities (D4/95).
7. Faculty Matters
7.1 Chair of Physiology and Headship, Department of Physiology
The Committee endorsed a proposal from the Board of the Faculty of
Medicine to advertise and fill a Chair of Physiology on a continuing basis,
the appointee to be also Head of the Department of Physiology for at least
the first five years.
Noting that the Steering Committee of the Academic Board had cancelled
the first meeting of the Board in 1995, and had referred the above proposal
to the February 1995 meeting of Council, the Committee agreed that all
recommendations of the review of the Department of Physiology be included on
the agenda for the next scheduled meeting of the Academic Board.
7.2 Reviews of Faculties
It was agreed that, given the absence of the Dean of Law, consideration
of this item be deferred to the next regular meeting of the Committee.
7.3 Report of the Review of the Faculty of Science
The Committee considered the above document (D7/95) and noted the advice
of the Dean of Science that the recommendations of the report had been well
received in the faculty. The Committee agreed:
(i) that the report be formally referred to the Faculty of Science for
consideration of recommendations and of procedures for their implementation,
for formal response to the Committee of Deans and subsequent referral to the
Academic Board;
(ii) that Recommendation 1 of the report be drawn to the attention of the
Vice- Chancellor, together with the Committee's advice that, prior to the
establishment of 'a small group to review the basis of budgetary allocations
within the University ... etc', the matter of the small group be discussed
at the Committee of Deans and arrangements made for the group to interact on
a regular basis with the Committee.
8. Reports of Administrative Divisions/Departments
8.1 Report from Personnel Services Division
This item was deferred to the next regular meeting of the Committee.
9. General Business
9.1 Report on Language and Learning Activities
The Chair of the Review Committee, Professor West, advised that the draft
report had been circulated for comment to members of the Academic Board and
to persons who had made submissions to the Review Committee. He sought in
particular the guidance of Deans in relation to Recommendation 4 in the
report which concerned the proposed classification of LLSU staff.
The Committee generally concurred with the view of the Deputy
Vice-Chancellor that the Unit needed both ESL teachers and academic staff,
and noted that the Chair of the Review would consider its comments with a
view to recasting the recommendations. It was agreed that the Report be
endorsed, the Committee noting that the Chair of the Review Committee was to
make some minor adjustments to finalise the document before its referral to
the Academic Board.
9.2 Staff Development Program
The Committee noted the 1995 staff development program recently launched
by the Professional Development Centre. Deans were asked to remind staff of
the availability of places in various strands of the program.
9.3 Berwick Campus
The Committee agreed to a proposal from the Dean, Computing and
Information Technology, that the project director for the education
technology project associated with the Berwick Campus be invited to address
Deans, at their next regular meeting, on the implication of the project for
teaching techniques.
9.4 Agenda Format
The Dean of Arts referred some suggestions to the Secretary for items for
inclusion in agendas for regular meetings of the Committee.
9.5 Appointment of Vice-Chancellor, Flinders University
On behalf of the Committee, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and
Development) expressed congratulations to Professor Chubb on his appointment
as Vice-Chancellor, Flinders University, and appreciation for his dedication
and achievements as Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Monash.
Distribution
Vice-Chancellor
Deputy Vice-Chancellors
Pro Vice-Chancellors
Deans
General Manager
Director, University Development
Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor
Deputy Dean, Business & Economics
Director, Organisational Development
Director, Administrative Divisions
General Manger, OLA
University Librarian
Registrar, Victorian College of Pharmacy
Director, Computer Centre
Assistant to Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Policy and Legal Counsel
Academic Projects Office
Policy & Planning Directorate (2)
Managers, Administrative Branches
Director, Administration, Gippsland
Faculty Registrars
Director, Centre for International Students
Personnel Branch
Director, Professional Development Centre
SWAS Members
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